Telegraph-relay.



PATENTED JAN. 8, 1907.

W. E. ATHBARN. TELEGRAPH RELAY. APPLIOATION FILED NOV. as. 1906.

THE "cams PETERS cm, WASHINGTON, n. c

UNITED STATES PA ENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. ATHEARN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN TELEPHONEAND TELEGRAPH COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEWV YORK.

TELEGRAPH-RELAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 8, 1907.

To all whom it 11mg concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. ATHEARN, residing at New York, borough ofBrooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have inventedcertain Improvements in Telegraph-Relays, of which the following is aspecification.

In electromagnetic apparatus it may become desirable to vary thestrength or disposition of the magnetic field independently of theposition of the poles and of the current flowing in anenergizing-circuit. This is the case, for example, in the polarizedrelays employed in telegraphy, in which, after the magnet-poles havebeen arranged to exert their attractive force upon the armature in themost effective manner, the operator may wish to bias said armature or toimpart to it a greater tendency to be normally drawn toward one polerather than toward the other or to otherwise adjust the field due to thepermanent magnets to compensate for varying line conditions. In relaysprovided with permanent magnets of U or horseshoe form such control maybe conveniently secured by bridging across its legs a movable magnetickeeper, which as it is approached to the poles gradually reduces themagnetic flux therefrom, and consequently the force with which thearmature is attracted.

The present invention relates more especially to instruments in whichthere are at,

least two keepers associated with a magnet or magnets, and has for itsprincipal objects the provision of means for coordinating the movementsof the keepers and of a generally improved adjusting mechanism therefor.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification is illustrated apolarized relay embodying the invention, Figure 1 being a top plan viewthereof, and Fig. 2 a front elevation, parts being broken away.

The same characters of reference designate like parts in both figures.

The form of polarized relay here shown is not essential to thisinvention, but is a convenient one merely and will be briefly described.cast metal, is secured a support 11 of insulating material, preferablyof wood. Spaced from this supportingboard by washers 12, it beingsecured thereon by screws 13 passing through the board and washers, is arelaymagnet, which in the present instance con- Upon a base 10, whichmay be of sists of two generally U-shaped permanent magnets M M Thesemagnets have longer leg portions 14 14 and shorter parallel portions 1515, joined at their outer extremities by curved integral yoke portions.he longer legs are of the same polarity and are magnetically united toone another by a block 16, the shorter legs both being of oppositepolarity to their companions and having projecting from them soft-ironpolepieces 17 17, which confront and are in alinement with one another.pieces moves an armature 18, pivoted upon opposite cap-screws 19 19,threaded into a supporting member 20, which is of magnetic material andis shown as fixed to the block 16. The pole-pieces carry coils 21 2].,connected in series and ending in a pair of terminal plates 22 22,provided with the usual screws for the attachment of the incoming andoutgoing line conductors. The free extremity of the armature playsbetween the opposed ends of contact-screws 23 and 24, threaded throughposts 25, rising from the baseboard and being insulated thereby from oneanother. The posts of the contactscrews 23 and 24 are respectivelyconnected to terminals or binding-screws 26 and 27, similar to theterminals 22, previously mentioned, while still another terminal 28 isjoined to one of the screws 13, and thus to the armature through themagnet. One or more local circuits may be connected to this terminal 28and to either or both terminals 26 and 27, depending upon the use towhich the instrument is to be put. So far as the structure has beendescribed it operates in the manner usual in polarized relays, whichneed not here be discussed.

Mounted to slide upon the upper surface of the permanent magnets M M andextending between the leg portions 14 and 15 are magnetic keepers orbridges 29 and 3(), respectively, preferably of soft iron. Near thecenter of each of these bridges is shown a transverse opening tapped toreceive an operating rod or member 31, provided with threads at 32 32,these threads being of the same pitch and extending about the rod in thesame directionthat is, both being either right or left handed. The rodpasses through retaining-blocks 33 33, fixed to the outer ends of themagnets by screws 34, the openings in these blocks being of suchvertical extent Between said pole- ICC IO: v

that the rod is permitted some movement of selfadjustme'nt in thisdirection. Heads or enlargements 35 35, situated outside the blocks andcontacting therewith, maintain the rod against longitudinal displacementand are knurled to enable them to be readily rotated, they thus servingas finger-pieces. The keepers are held yieldably in contact with themagnets by springs 36 36, each having a loop at one extremity whichengages a groove 37 in the rod situated near the inner end of the screw31, thus preventing displacement along the same, while the opposite endof each spring extends through the baseboard and is there held undersome tension by a pin 38. This arrangement of springs and the capabilityof movement of the rod in 'its retaining-blocks allows the keepers topass freely over the magnets and to adjust themselves at bothextremities to the contacting surface of the legs.

In this relay, as described, the pole-pieces of the magnets are arrangedduring its construction in their most effective relation to the armatureas regards total width of airgap, though the limit of movement of thearmature with respect to the poles may be varied by the contact-screws.These having been satisfactorily fixed in position, the normal tendencyof the armature to remain against one or the other may be adjusted bythe keepers. When one of these members approaches the yoke portion ofits magnet at the outer limit of its travel, as the keeper29 is shown inthe drawings, its companion is so situated upon its screw 34 that it issimilarly related to the coil 21, which determines its inner limit. Thekeeper 29 is therefore close to the point at which it does not sensiblyaffect magnetic field, while the keeper 30 is near the point at which itwill divert the maximum number of lines of force from the armature. Thusthe influence of the magnet M upon the armature is approximately thesame as though it had no keeper; but the field of the magnet M isconsiderably weakened and the armature will normally rest against thescrew 23. If the rod 31 be turned so that .the keeper 29 travelsinwardly, or toward the right, the keeper 30 also moves to the right,since both sections of the screw-thread encircle the rod in the samedirection, and because of this and of the similar pitch the spacebetween them will remain constant. It will be obvious that in theiradvance both keepers will reach points at the same distance from theirrespective pole pieces. This causes the field of the permanent magneticsystem to become practically uniform, so that from a central positionthe armature Wlll be equally attracted and will remain against whichevercontact-screw it may happen to be until such a current flows through thecoils 21 as to strengthen the opposite pole. Finally as this meanadjustment is passed and precision of control attained by this si- 7multaneous operation will be readily appreciated. The placing of onekeeper at its intermediate or neutral point necessarily thus positionsthe other without consideration or added effort upon the part of theoperator, and their traversing to either side of this mean adds to thestrength of one portion of the field what it subtracts from the other,insuring harmony of action and the most effective adjustment.

I claim as my invention- 1. A relay comprising a magnet havingoppositely-situated poles, an armature movable between the poles, meansfor controlling the attractive force of each of the poles, and operatingmechanism common to the controlling means of both poles for oppositelyvarying the attraction of said poles.

2. In a magnetic mechanism, the combination with an armature, ofpermanent magnets associated with said armature and having separated legportions, a keeper extending between the leg portions of each of two ofthe magnets, and means for simultaneously moving the keepers in the samedirection.

3. A relay comprising a magnet having confronting poles, an armaturemounted to oscillate between said poles, means for regulating theattractive power of both of said poles, and actuating mechanism adaptedto operate the said regulating means for both poles and thereupon toadjust the attraction of both poles simultaneously and inversely,substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with a magnet having oppositely-situated poles and aplurality of adjacent leg portions associated with each pole, of anarmature movable between the poles, independent magnetic membersbridging the leg portions, and a rotatable operating member havingthreaded engagement with both bridge members, the thread cooperatingwith said bridge members encircling the operating member in the samedirection.

5. In a polarized relay, the combination with two generally U-shapedpermanent magnets having one pair of like poles joined magnetically andthe other pair of likepoles provided with adjacent pole-pieces, of anarmature pivotedv at the. juncture of the firstnamed poles and extendingbetween the pole-pieces, a magnetic keeper cooperating with the legs ofeach magnet, and an operating member mounted upon the magnets andengaging both keepers, substantially as described.

6. A relay comprising a magnet having adjacent leg portions, an armaturecooperating with the extremity of one leg portion,

a keeper extending across the legs of the magnet and being movablethereover, an operating member for the keeper, and yieldable means formaintaining the engagement of the keeper and magnet.

7. A relay comprising a magnet having adjacent leg portions, an armaturecooperating with the extremity of one leg portion, a keeper extendingacross the legs of the magnet and being movable thereover, an operatingmember for the keeper, and a spring engaging the operating member andserving to draw the keeper against the mag net, as and for the purposeset forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses, this 23d day of November, 1906.

WILLIAM E. ATHEARN.

Witnesses:

EDWARD BLAKENEY, CHARLES S. SCALES.

